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Johnson's Mental Health Complex roommate speaks out

The roommate of a man who died at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex was a no-show in court on Monday.

Fred Williams' testimony was supposed to be part of the inquest hearing into Brandon Johnson's death.

"I was kind of sad for him because that was a harsh way to die,” said Williams.

Williams, who shared a room with Johnson for two days, seems still affected by his former roommate's death. Johnson died in the Mental Health Complex in October after suffering a broken neck that caused blood clots. Williams said Johnson was paralyzed.

"When he was asking them for stuff, they wasn't really helping him or nothing like that,” Williams said. "They kept telling him he could help himself, that he could get up out the wheelchair, but he wouldn't because he couldn't walk."

Williams said the night before Johnson died, Johnson asked for a nurse to help him to bed.

"It was two lady nurses, but they said they couldn't help him get into bed because they wasn't able to pick him up," said Williams. "When they brung him out to eat breakfast, he just collapsed, and that was it."

Williams was supposed to share all of this at the John Doe proceeding to determine if anyone should be criminally charged in the case but he never showed up.

"I didn't have a way to get there,” said Williams.

Detectives said they couldn't find him and read his original statement instead. WISN 12 News found him at home. He said he later called the district attorney's office.

"They just told me they didn't really need me. If they would've needed me, they would have called me and let me know,” said Williams.